Hope!

Where does hope come from?

Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s top three are faith, hope and love.  We see them listed in 1 Corinthians 13, the Love Chapter.  We emphasize love and we emphasize faith, but what about hope?

What is hope?  Dictionary.com: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. 

Do you have hope?  To you feel that what you want can be had?  Do you feel that events in your life will turn out for the best?

So many people feel hopeless…they have no hope.

Hope comes from God!  God is a God of hope.  In Romans 15:12, it says that we can overflow with hope by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit brings us hope.

But how can we experience hope?  How can we receive hope from the “God of hope” or by the “power of the Holy Spirit”? 

We have hope because we TRUST in God.  Do you trust in God?  The Bible, God’s Word, is full of God’s promises to us.  We need to put our trust in God.  We do that through prayer and meditation on what God says in the Bible.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Don’t worry; pray.  Put your trust in God and experience an “overflowing” of hope, joy and peace.

God bless,

PK

(“Pastor Ken”)

Don't Settle for Less

Many of you know my dog Stormie. She is a German Shepherd and will be two years old in May. She recently had a checkup and now weighs 92 pounds. Right now she is laying on the floor chewing on a bone.  She likes to chew on bones.

Sometimes we buy "soup bones" (also called marrow bones) for her from the grocery store.. Apparently, people buy these bones and use them to make soup.  They are bones with some fat and tiny bits of scrap meat and are filled with marrow. STORMIE LOVES THESE BONES!  She tears at the meat scraps and cleans the bone!

One time I was feeling "rich" and in the mood to spoil her, so I bought spare ribs--you know, the ones for humans.  They had some meat on 'em!  And guess what?  STORMIE LOVED THEM!

Given a choice, my dog prefers a meaty bone over an old dried out bone.  There are old bones in the back yard that I have to pick up and throw away because she is no longer interested in them.

Don't settle for an old bone when you can have more.  What do you want out of life?  What do you want from work?  What do you want from church?  What do you want from your family life?  Just before I left for college many years ago, my pastor told me something that I will never forget.  He said, "Ken, you will only get out of school what you put into it.  If you put effort in, you will get more out of it."  (Not his exact words. Thanks, Pastor Harold Smith!)  He was right.  And it is true about everything you do.

Life, work, family, leisure will all be better when you invest time, energy and resources into them.

Don't settle for an old bone--go for the best!

PK

Greatest Challenge Facing Pastors

The Greatest Challenge Facing Pastors:
Getting Along with Others

(And How You Can Help)

The Problem: Philippians 4:2-3 People don't always get along with one other.

The Solution: Ephesians 4:25-32  How to Get Along

Ephesians 4:25–32 (NIV)

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

How to Get Along with Others
 

1. Be truthful

2. Speak encouragement

3. Get rid of the junk

4. Be kind, compassionate, forgiving

1. Be truthful

Lots of human relationship problems could quickly be resolved if people would just speak up and speak out.  Sometimes we fear hurting people’s feelings so we don’t say what we should.  That can lead to confusion, mistrust and frustration.

Martin Luther said, “Peace if possible, but truth at any cost.”

Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Remember that love is the most important of Christian qualities.

2. Speak encouragement

Have you ever heard someone say, “If you don’t have something nice to say; say nothing at all.”  Well, it is biblical.

The tongue is a powerful weapon.

James 3:5–6 (NIV) Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV) But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Your tongue can be a destructive weapon that destroys and tears down, or it can be a powerful building tool helping others grow and prosper.

3. Get rid of the junk

Matthew 12:33–37 (NIV)

³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

I hate it when Christians make excuses for their sin.  We have been set free from sin and therefore should not still be living a life of sin!!

4. Be kind, compassionate, forgiving

“To err is human but to forgive is canine, uh, I mean divine.”

But why can’t forgiveness be “human”?

The Fabulous Five

—  “I was wrong.”

—  “I’m sorry.”

—  “Please forgive me.”

—  “I forgive you.”

—  “I love you.”

Fruit of the Holy Spirit:

Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

How many of these “fruit” pertain to human relationships?  All nine (9) of them!

Conclusion

 

1. Ask God to forgive you.

2. Ask people to forgive you.

3. Forgive yourself.

4. Live differently.

Let’s pray.

(audio version of this message can be found here on Hamlin Assembly of God website)